Tornado outbreak sequence of May 25 – June 1, 1917 explained

Tornado outbreak sequence of May 25–June 1, 1917
Type:	Tornado outbreak
Active:	May 25 - June 1, 1917
Tornadoes:	≥ 66
Fujitascale:	F5
Tornado Duration:	8 days
Casualties:	≥ 383 fatalities, unknown injuries
Damages:	> $6.88 million (1917 USD); >$ million (USD)

The tornado outbreak sequence of May 25–June 1, 1917 was an eight-day tornado event, known as a tornado outbreak sequence, that killed at least 383 people, mostly in the Midwestern and parts of the Southeastern United States. It was the most intense and the longest continuous tornado outbreak sequence on record, with at least 66 tornadoes including 15 that were analyzed to have been violent (F4–F5) based upon reported damage. The deadliest tornado of the entire sequence produced a 155miles track across Illinois, killing 101 people and devastating the towns of Charleston and Mattoon along with small farming communities. Once believed to have traveled 290miles across Illinois and into Indiana, it is now assessed to have been a tornado family of four to eight separate tornadoes.

Meteorological synopsis

A series of low-pressure areas affected the Central and Eastern United States between May 25 and June 1, 1917. The first of these developed by May 25 east of the Rocky Mountains in eastern Colorado. By 7:00 p.m. CST/0100 UTC that day, it intensified to 29.451NaN1 with temperatures rising at or above 701NaN1 over most of Kansas. The next day, the low-pressure system deepened further into the morning, eventually centering near Yankton, South Dakota, about 7 a.m. CST/1300 UTC. Upon weakening to about 29.551NaN1 in the evening and centering near Des Moines, Iowa, the low was followed by another surface low which formed over the Texas Panhandle and moved northeast. This second low passed near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on the morning of May 27 and approached the St. Louis, Missouri, area in the evening. On May 30, yet another low of about 29.51NaN1 by 7 p.m. CST/0100 UTC moved northeast from near Concordia, Kansas, to Des Moines.^[1]

List of tornadoes

These numbers are likely gross underestimates. Several of the long-track events listed below are likely to be tornado families, or groups of tornadoes produced by the same storm. Because of insufficient documentation, and lack of a proper storm survey by meteorologists, it is impossible to determine where one tornado ends and another begins in certain cases. Additionally, the book by Grazulis which details the tornadoes of this event only documents "significant" tornadoes, that is, tornadoes which caused fatalities or F2 or greater damage on the Fujita scale. On average, almost 70% of tornadoes are not "significant".^[2]

May 25 event

List of tornadoes - May 25, 1917
F#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Comments/Damage
Kansas
bgcolor=#	F2	NW of Jennings	Decatur	39.77°N -100.4°W	1830	4miles	Tornado destroyed two barns.
bgcolor=#	F5	NNW of Cheney to NE of Florence	Sedgwick, Harvey, Marion	37.68°N -97.81°W	2000	65miles	23 deaths — Destroyed 118 buildings, with many swept away. Hardest-hit areas were the southeastern part of Andale (12 deaths) and the southern edge of Sedgwick, where eight people died. Three more died in rural areas near McLain and Elbing. The tornado dissipated northeast of Florence. Average path width was 1200yd .
bgcolor=#	F2	S of Sylvan Grove	Lincoln	38.96°N -98.39°W	2100	unknown	Destroyed one barn.
bgcolor=#	F2	Near Fall River	Elk, Greenwood, Wilson, Woodson	37.6°N -96.03°W	2315	18miles	Damaged 20 farm sites and destroyed at least five barns.
bgcolor=#	F3	NW of Howard to S of New Albany	Elk, Wilson	37.52°N -96.32°W	2000	25miles	1 death - Destroyed more than 12 farms, and one woman was killed.
Nebraska
bgcolor=#	F2	Ogallala	Keith	41.13°N -101.72°W	2000	1miles	Brief tornado moved a chicken house, then damaged a house and law office. Two children injured by airborne glass.
Sources: Grazulis 1993

May 26 event

List of tornadoes - May 26, 1917
F#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Comments/Damage
Missouri
bgcolor=lightgray	FU	Near Louisiana	Pike		before 1800	unknown	Brief tornado. Beginning of the Charleston–Mattoon, Illinois, tornado family.^[3]
Illinois
bgcolor=lightgray	FU	Near Pleasant Hill	Pike		~1800	unknown	Brief touchdown.^[4] Was part of the Charleston–Mattoon tornado family.
bgcolor=#	F4	E of Nebo to Embarrass	Pike, Greene, Macoupin, Montgomery, Christian, Shelby, Coles	39.45°N -91.07°W	1810	155miles	101 deaths — See section on this tornado
bgcolor=#	F3	ESE of Charleston to Livingston	Coles, Clark	39.45°N -88.09°W	2145	25miles	Destroyed a farm and injured 15 people near northern Marshall. Possibly F4.
bgcolor=#	F4	Near Manhattan to NE of Crown Point, IN	Will, Lake (IN)	41.43°N -87.99°W	2245	33miles	3 deaths — Swept away three farmhouses in the Manhattan–Monee area. Later hit near Crete and in northern Crown Point. Hit numerous farms along its path.
bgcolor=lightgray	FU	E of Chester	Randolph		2300	unknown	1 death — A "tornadic" thunderstorm blew down buildings just east of Chester.
bgcolor=lightgray	FU	Near Willisville	Perry		2340	unknown	A "funnel-shaped cloud" caused $80,000 damage in Willisville.
bgcolor=lightgray	FU	Near Hallidayboro	Jackson		0030	unknown	Slight damage occurred in Hallidayboro.
Indiana
bgcolor=#	F4	W of Blackhawk to S of Clay City	Vigo, Clay	39.31°N -87.31°W	2200	13miles	2 deaths — Completely swept away a large house south of Blackhawk, killing its two occupants. The funnel later turned into a downburst near Clay City.
bgcolor=#	F4	Near Clear Creek	Monroe	39.12°N -86.55°W	2245	5miles	Passed 3miles south of Bloomington, destroying 15 houses and causing near-F5 damage. The tornado also completely destroyed three farms.
bgcolor=#	F4	S of Crown Point to SE of Kouts	Lake, Porter	41.33°N -87.36°W	2340	20miles	4 deaths — Destroyed12 farms and damaged 30 others before lifting. A railroad worker died in a boxcar and 25 other people were injured. Three other people were killed on their farms.
Sources: Grazulis, Significant, p. 752

May 27 event

List of tornadoes - May 27, 1917
F#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Comments/Damage
Missouri
bgcolor=#	F2	SW of Hurley to N of Ozark	Stone, Christian	36.92°N -93.51°W	1730	20miles	Caused 50 injuries, mainly near Hurley and Boaz. The tornado also destroyed eight farmhouses.
bgcolor=#	F1	Bruner to near Seymour	Christian, Webster	37.01°N -92.99°W	1800	13miles	1 death — Death caused by airborne debris.
bgcolor=#	F3	W of Ozark	Christian		1815	5miles	This tornado reportedly leveled some houses.
bgcolor=#	F2	E of Ava	Douglas		2015	unknown	Destroyed one house near Coldspring, injuring four people inside.
bgcolor=#	F3	S of St. Mary to Willisville, IL	Perry, Randolph (IL), Perry (IL)		2300	25miles	1 death — Destroyed six houses in Missouri and caused one death east of Chester, Illinois. The tornado also destroyed Willisville's business district and unroofed or damaged 20 other houses.
bgcolor=#	F2	W of Neosho	Newton		0315	5miles	Destroyed three houses and five barns in the Belfast community.
Arkansas
bgcolor=#	F4	S of Blytheville to S of Como, TN	Mississippi, Lauderdale (TN), Dyer (TN), Gibson (TN), Weakley (TN)		2100	75miles	18 deaths — Crossed into Tennessee near Tomato, Arkansas after causing six deaths in nearby tenant houses. The tornado killed seven other people in south Dyersburg, four more people south of Sharon, and one more person at Ore Springs (south of Como). Probably a tornado family that leveled many large homes in Tennessee.
bgcolor=#	F3	N of Manila to Big Lake	Mississippi		2230	5miles	Destroyed seven houses at Cottonwood Point before dissipating. The tornado allegedly carried livestock 0.25miles.
Kentucky
bgcolor=#	F2	Bardwell	Carlisle		2130	unknown	1 death — Killed one person and destroyed many structures as it passed through downtown Bardwell.
Tennessee
bgcolor=#	F4	N of Tiptonville to near Dublin, KY	Lake, Fulton (KY), Hickman (KY), Graves (KY)		2200	50miles	67 deaths — Second-deadliest Kentucky tornado on record (65 deaths in-state), second only to the 1890 Louisville tornado (76 deaths). Forty-two people were killed in Fulton County, including 21 in the town of Bondurant.
bgcolor=#	F3	SW of Milan to N of Indian Mound	Gibson, Carroll, Henry, Benton, Stewart		2230	80miles	6 deaths — Long-lived tornado family destroyed houses and farms near Trezevant, Hico, and Manleyville.
bgcolor=#	F4	Near Finger to near Linden	McNairy, Chester, Henderson, Perry		0000	50miles	5 deaths — Fourth major tornado in Tennessee on the same day, probably from a family of tornadoes. It leveled 20 small houses in its path.
bgcolor=#	F2	N of Brentwood to Lebanon	Davidson, Wilson		0100	35miles	2 deaths — Fifth and final long-track tornado to affect Tennessee, hitting just south of Nashville. It damaged houses in Una, Bakertown, and Dodoburg.
Alabama
bgcolor=#	F3	S of Kansas to NE of Manchester	Walker		0245	17miles	9 deaths — Destructive tornado killed six people in northern Carbon Hill, destroying or damaging roughly 200 houses in a three-block-wide area.
bgcolor=#	F4	SE of Sumiton to E of Morris	Jefferson, Blount		0245	25miles	27 deaths — At least two devastating tornadoes, their paths inseparable, killed nine people in Sayre and 17 others in Bradford. It flattened many small houses and killed an infant in Blount County before dissipating.
bgcolor=#	F2	Near Lees Chapel	Blount		0345	unknown	1 death — As many as four people may have died as a tornado destroyed small houses.
bgcolor=#	F3	Windham Springs	Tuscaloosa		0435	5miles	5 deaths — Destroyed 24 out of 25 houses in Windham Springs.
Sources: Grazulis, Significant, pp. 752–753

May 28 event

List of tornadoes - May 28, 1917
F#	Location	County	Time (UTC)	Path length	Comments/Damage
Alabama
bgcolor=#	F2	SE of Tuscaloosa to near Woodstock	Tuscaloosa, Bibb	0610	18miles	1 death — Destroyed 15 houses near Taylorville and Bibbville.
bgcolor=#	F2	Sylacauga	Talladega	0645	unknown	1 death — This (reportedly) highly visible tornado damaged numerous houses, businesses, and warehouses in downtown Sylacauga.
bgcolor=#	F3	SW of New Hope	Madison, Marshall, Jackson	0700	18miles	6 deaths — The final deadly tornado of the outbreak in Alabama destroyed 20 houses. The six fatalities occurred in six of the 20 houses.
Sources: Grazulis, Significant, pp. 752–753

May 30 event

List of tornadoes - May 30, 1917
F#	Location	County	Time (UTC)	Path length	Comments/Damage
Missouri
bgcolor=#	F4	W of Manes to near Anutt	Wright, Texas, Phelps, Dent	1830	55miles	10 deaths — Leveled farms and small houses near the Big Piney River, south of Hazleton, and northwest of Lenox. This long-track tornado passed only 5miles north of the next tornado path, listed below.
bgcolor=#	F4	W of Success to near Melzo	Texas, Dent, Crawford, Washington, St. Francois, Jefferson	1900	108miles	10 deaths — Major tornado or tornado family damaged or destroyed homes in Licking, Ranger, Salem, Eye, and Mineral Point. Most of Mineral Point was damaged with house leveled in the northern part of town.
bgcolor=#	F2	WSW of Fredericktown to near Libertyville	Madison, St. Francois	2200	15miles	Widely photographed tornado destroyed barns south of Knob Lick.
bgcolor=#	F3	Near Munger to S of Park Hills	Reynolds, Iron, St. Francois	2200	28miles	7 deaths — Leveled many houses in small communities near Munger, near Graniteville, south of Bismarck, and near Elvins and Flat River.
bgcolor=#	F2	S of Fredericktown	Madison	2230	9miles	3 deaths — Destroyed numerous farmhouses.
bgcolor=#	F4	NE of Ellsinore to near Drum	Carter, Wayne, Bollinger	2300	50miles	18 deaths — Simultaneously occurred with the next event, which was 4miles to the south before merging near Arab. The northern, stronger tornado damaged Granite Bend and several small communities before destroying Dongola and south Zalma. It caused significant F4 damage near Dongola and Zalma.
bgcolor=#	F3	NW of Hendrickson to ENE of Arab	Carter, Butler, Wayne, Bollinger	2300	50miles	8 deaths — Merged with the F4 tornado near Arab. The tornado passed south of Taskee and leveled two houses south of Chaonia Landing. The path widened to 1.5miles near Arab.
bgcolor=#	F2	N of Bloomsdale to SE of Brickeys Hollow	Ste. Genevieve, Randolph (IL)	2300	10miles	Moved from Lawrenceton into Illinois. In Missouri, the tornado destroyed four houses along with a church, a parsonage, and a blacksmith shop. It caused only minor damage in Illinois.
bgcolor=#	F3	N of Ozora to NW of Chester, IL	Ste. Genevieve, Randolph (IL)	0000	13miles	1 death — Destroyed four houses near Ozora then passed into Illinois near Fort Gage.
bgcolor=#	F3	W of Bloomfield to near Oran	Stoddard, Scott	0000	32miles	6 deaths — Developed west of Acorn Ridge and destroyed frail rural structures. It caused deaths at Zeta and Ardeola.
bgcolor=#	F2	Crowder to S of Blodgett	Scott	0015	10miles	The tornado destroyed at least 12 houses.
bgcolor=#	F2	S of Winona to N of Low Wassie	Shannon, Carter	0030	10miles	Four farms were destroyed. The track may have continued to near Ellington in Reynolds County.
bgcolor=#	F3	SW of Hornersville	Dunklin	0300	3miles	2 deaths — A well-constructed house was destroyed.
bgcolor=#	F2	W of Washington	Franklin	unknown	1miles	One house and many barns destroyed.
Sources: Grazulis, Significant, pp. 753–754

May 31 event

List of tornadoes - May 31, 1917
F#	Location	County	Time (UTC)	Path length	Comments/Damage
Texas
bgcolor=#	F2	Muenster to Gainesville	Cooke	0315	15miles	Funnel clouds observed at Lindsay and Gainesville, but most damage downburst-caused. Four houses, 12 barns, and many churches were destroyed.
Oklahoma
bgcolor=#	F4	NW of Marietta	Love	0330	8miles	3 deaths— Five houses were leveled outside Marietta. The town itself only received downburst-related damage.
Sources: Grazulis, Significant, pp. 753–754

June 1 event

List of tornadoes - June 1, 1917
F#	Location	County	Time (UTC)	Path length	Comments/Damage
Kentucky
bgcolor=#	F2	Viola	Graves	1230	5miles	Most of Viola was damaged or destroyed.
bgcolor=#	F2	Downtown Lexington	Fayette	1530	unknown	A tornado unroofed downtown buildings and structures at Sayre School.
bgcolor=#	F2	Near Earlington	Hopkins	2130	unknown	A tornado destroyed barns.
Oklahoma
bgcolor=#	F2	S of Guthrie	Logan	2000	unknown	A tornado leveled a barn and almost destroyed a house. Four or more other tornadoes, all F1 or weaker, hit Logan County on this day.
bgcolor=#	F2	S of Sapulpa	Creek	2100	unknown	A tornado destroyed a small house outside south Sapulpa.
bgcolor=#	F2	Between Drumright and Oilton	Creek	2100	unknown	A tornado destroyed a small house along with 15 oil derricks.
bgcolor=#	F3	S of Sulphur	Murray	2115	3miles	5 deaths— A tornado hit the Drake community, where one small house was completely swept away. A nearby school and another house were also destroyed.
bgcolor=#	F3	N of Seminole	Seminole	2200	7miles	Houses and barns were destroyed and the debris was carried miles away. 12 people were injured.
bgcolor=#	F2	S of Okmulgee	Okmulgee	2200	unknown	A tornado destroyed buildings plus 42 oil derricks.
bgcolor=#	F4	Clarita to Coalgate	Coal	2220	12miles	14 deaths— A tornado destroyed about 200 houses, some of them well-built, two-story structures. Losses reached $200,000. One book from Coalgate was found 40miles away at McAlester State Prison.
Kansas
bgcolor=#	F3	W of Coffeyville	Montgomery	2305	11miles	3 deaths— A tornado passed just north of downtown Coffeyville, destroying many houses and 13 businesses.
bgcolor=#	F2	SW of Pomona	Franklin	0000	10miles	A tornado hit downtown Pomona, unroofing six large houses, snapping trees and destroying a railroad depot.
bgcolor=#	F2	S of Montana to SE of McCune	Labette, Cherokee	0030	10miles	A tornado destroyed barns and unroofed a house.
Sources: Grazulis, Significant, pp. 753–754

Mattoon/Charleston, Illinois

Mattoon–Charleston, Illinois
Fujitascale:	F4
Highest Winds:	134 m/s (300 mph)
Casualties:	108 fatalities, 638 injuries
Enhanced:	no

This devastating and long-tracked event first began before noon CST in eastern Missouri, where significant hail was reported,^[5] then crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois near Pleasant Hill. These two towns were probably hit by two separate, weak tornadoes which formed from the same thunderstorm, but intense tornado damage only began 2miles east of Nebo, Illinois.^[6] From there, moving east at about 40mi/h, the first violent member of the event moved into White Hall, hitting farms and injuring six people before weakening and dissipating. Another tornado probably developed over Modesto, 22miles to the east. In Modesto, the tornado destroyed 30 homes and damaged 35 others, with three deaths, 16 injuries, and $120,000 damage reported. Over the next 50miles, the tornado either weakened or lifted before touching down again at Dunkel, destroying many homes and barns, and continuing into Westervelt. It destroyed 10 homes and killed four people in Westervelt, but much of the damage was due to hail. Rural areas between Dunkel and Westervelt reportedly received severe damage and reported one death.

After hitting Westervelt, the tornado weakened and probably lifted before reforming and re-intensifying over southern Moultrie County. The new tornado then passed directly through the northern half of Mattoon, causing F4 damage and "near-total destruction" in its path. It destroyed 496 homes, damaged 284, and killed at least 53 people in Mattoon; in the hardest-hit areas, few walls were left standing and only small debris remained. Total damage in Mattoon reached $1.2 million. Between Mattoon and Charleston, a distance of 11miles, all farms registered damage and often lost buildings. Entering Charleston, the tornado produced less severe damage than in Mattoon, perhaps due to better construction, but at least 220 homes were still destroyed, 265 badly damaged, 38 people killed, and $780,000 damage caused. The tornado then continued beyond Charleston, causing two final deaths at Embarrass before lifting, though weather officials in 1917 believed that the tornado had continued into Indiana.

At one time, this series of tornadoes was considered a single tornado. Lasting seven hours and 40 minutes and covering 293miles, it is now generally believed to have been a family of at least four, and possibly eight or more, distinct tornadoes, with either short breaks in the damage path or sections of straight-line wind damage connecting the tornado paths. Debris such as mail, wallpaper, and parts of books was carried 70miles northeast of the parent supercell. In 1917, the tornado was also believed to have produced winds up to 400mi/h, though more recent studies have determined that tornadoes only produce winds up to about 300mi/h.^[7]

Non-tornadic effects

Aftermath/recovery

See also

• List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• List of tornadoes causing 100 or more deaths

References

Bibliography

• Book: Grazulis, Thomas P.. 1993. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. Environmental Films. 1-879362-03-1.
• Book: 2003. The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm. University of Oklahoma Press. 978-0-8061-3538-0.

External links

• Carey . J. P. . The Central Illinois Tornado of May 26, 1917 . Geographical Review . 1917 . 4 . 2 . 122–130 . 10.2307/207291 . 207291 .
• https://web.archive.org/web/20100701073810/http://www.isws.illinois.edu/pubdoc/C/ISWSC-103.pdf

Notes and References

1. Frankenfield. H. C.. The Tornadoes and Windstorms of May 25–June 6, 1917. Monthly Weather Review. June 1917. 45. 6. 291. 10.1175/1520-0493(1917)45<291:TTAWOM>2.0.CO;2. 9 April 2013. United States Weather Bureau. Washington, D.C.. 1917MWRv...45..291F . free.
2. Grazulis, Significant, pp. 144-147
3. Wilson . J. O. . S. A. Changnon Jr . Illinois Tornadoes . 1971 . 10 April 2013 . Illinois State Water Survey . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100701073810/http://www.isws.illinois.edu/pubdoc/C/ISWSC-103.pdf . July 1, 2010 .
4. Carey. J. P.. The Central Illinois Tornado of May 26, 1917. Geographical Review. August 1917. 4. 2. 122–130. 207291. American Geographical Society. 10.2307/207291.
5. Root. Clarence J.. The tornadoes of May 26th and 27th, 1917. Climatological Data. May 1917. 21. 40. United States Weather Bureau.
6. Grazulis, Significant, p. 752
7. Burgess. D. M. Magsig. J. Wurman . D. Dowell . Y. Richardson . Radar Observations of the 3 May 1999 Oklahoma City Tornado. Weather and Forecasting. 2002. 17. 3. 456–471. 10.1175/1520-0434(2002)017<0456:rootmo>2.0.co;2 . 2002WtFor..17..456B . free.